Today’s quick review: Dear Dictator. Tatiana Mills (Odeya Rush), a rebellious teenager, becomes pen pals with General Anton Vincent (Michael Caine), a reviled dictator whom she looks up to. When rebels overthrow Anton, he escapes to Tatiana’s house to prepare his counterattack. While Tatiana works to keep Anton a secret from her mother Darlene (Katie Holmes), the dictator gives her lessons on how to take control at her school.
Dear Dictator is a comedy about a deposed dictator hiding out in an American suburb. Anton Vincent befriends Tatiana, learns about American culture, and helps Tatiana and her mother improve their chaotic lives. Dear Dictator gets its comedy from the juxtaposition of a ruthless revolutionary with his mundane surroundings, while its emotional heart is the relationship between Tatiana and Darlene. However, its execution falls well short of the mark.
Dear Dictator never quite finds its rhythm. Anton should be a steady source of humor, an out-of-touch dictator who is incongruously kind in his personal affairs. However, the movie never figures out the right way to use him, shying away from too many dictator jokes and skimping on his side of the plot. Tatiana and Darlene have similar problems, with character arcs that are too exaggerated to be sympathetic and not dynamic enough to be funny.
Dear Dictator offers some modest amusement for anyone in the mood for straightforward comedy wrapped around a mother-daughter story. But the humor isn’t sharp enough, the story isn’t rich enough, and the premise of the movie largely goes to waste. Accommodating viewers may still find it fun, but viewers who are looking for a more impresive comedy should look elsewhere.
For a more introspective comedy about a listless teenage girl, try Juno or Lady Bird. For a more developed comedy about a dysfunctional family, try Little Miss Sunshine. For a goofier and more violent movie that puts a darkly comedic spin on a bad person, try Killing Gunther.
[5.0 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5779540/). I give it a 5.5 for cheap humor that largely misses the mark.